


Modern-day Cinderella

by gravityplant



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe, Cinderella Elements, First Meetings, Fluff, House Party, M/M, Meet-Cute, a modern take on Cinderella
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:20:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21745900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gravityplant/pseuds/gravityplant
Summary: Phil's awakened by a loud party a few floors down. In his quest for a good night’s sleep, he meets pretty and mysterious Dan who seems to be in need of some company.
Relationships: Dan Howell/Phil Lester
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Modern-day Cinderella

**Author's Note:**

> Beta: phuzzyphan, thank you <3 <3

Phil's knuckles hammer on the door, the sound echoing the stairwell. His eyes are swollen, mere slits in the harsh light from the motion-sensitive ceiling lamp.

For a second he stands there waiting. Sounds are coming from within the door. Loud music pumping, making it pound in Phil’s ears. He’s already frowning, mouth jutted out crossly. 

He can hear footsteps near from inside and he braces himself for conflict. 

A short blonde guy with long hair opens the door, he frowns when he sees Phil. “Whadya want?” 

“Could you lot please turn down the music?” Phil says tiredly, sighing.

“Um, no, I’m sorry to say that I can’t without getting decapitated by Rachel,” the guy says apologetically.

“But if you want you could always join us?” The guy says pointing over his shoulder.

“Join you?” Phil frowns. 

“Yeah, come on, you look like you need it,” The guy grins waving for him to get in.

“Need what?” Phil asks dumbly, blinking uncomprehendingly at the guy.

“Some fun, clearly,” the guy says rolling his eyes before he grips Phil's shoulder and hauls him inside.

“No, wait-“ Phil has time to say before he's inside and the guy has left in a hurry “... I need to sleep.”

Phil looks around himself, feeling awkward as he takes a first step in. The room is filled to the brim with people dancing and drinking. For a moment he's swallowed by the crowd, until he manages to be spewed out of it by the drinks table. He takes a cup casually, feeling a bit stupid as he stands there by himself.

He pushes past some people, feeling himself panic in the cramped atmosphere. His savior ends up being the balcony's welcoming open doors. The cold air washes over his skin, submerging him in a sense of calm. He breathes in, standing there with closed eyes for a second.

"You've seen better days," a masculine voice suddenly says. Phil's eyes land on a man leaned against the balcony rail. He's holding a glass in his manicured hand. But what Phil's eyes catch on is the man's eyes. He's wearing eyeliner with tiny stickers of stars under his eyes. Around his neck, a black choker is wrapped. Phil's mouth runs dry. The man smiles at him, his eyes glimmer dangerously in the dark.

"Excuse me- have we met?" Phil stutters, blinking excessively to keep his tired eyes from unfocusing. For some reason, he doesn't want his sleep-deprived brain to forget the look of this man. 

The man laughs a delicious-sounding laugh. "I doubt that."

"So, what did you mean by that?" Phil says frowning, gosh sleep deprivation really doesn't look cute on him. He shakes his head lightly.

"Dude, you look absolutely wrecked," the man says tipping his glass back to drink, Phil observes his Adam's apple move discreetly feeling his cheeks redden.

"No, no... I just haven't been able to sleep" Phil says leaning against the door frame.

"You live here?" The guy asks with a curious shift of his lips.

"A few steps up" Phil mumbles, hiding his flushed face by taking a sip of his cup.

The man's face changes till one of sympathy. "That's brutal, from what I've gathered they party quite regularly here."

Phil sighs and takes another sip, the shrug his shoulders a ghost of a smile lingering on his lips. "Yeah, you'd be right."

"Student?" The man asks, swirling the liquid in his glass around with a dull face. Phil just nods, and the man gives him a tepid smile in return.

"I used to be a student," the man says, laughing, his eyes becoming lacklustre. It's not a gleeful laugh... and it leaves Phil with a bad feeling in his stomach.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks. The man looks up at him, studies him with mysterious brown eyes. Then he shakes his head "no."

"Do you want to hear what I'm studying for?" Phil asks quietly in hopes of shifting the spotlight so the stranger will move out from the shadows.

"Go on," the stranger says with an amused tone to his voice. 

"Video post-production with visual effects."

"Oh, very fancy," the man says, quirking his eyebrow. This voice has a sarcastic tone to it, but his eyes look genuine. Phil just nods.

They chat for what feels like hours until Phil suddenly remembers why he was supposed to tell his neighbour to lower the volume. He has an exam tomorrow, he checks his phone in a panic. The clocks 04:58. The man and he had had a discussion about their plans for the upcoming weekend when Phil remembered.

"I have to go, I'm really late!" Phil says. "Late?" the man frowns but Phil is already gone. "Wait!" the man calls, but he stops himself, realising that he doesn't know Phil's name.

-

It's been approximately two hours before Phil hears the doorbell ring. Irritated, he drags himself out of bed. He opens the door only to see the man standing there on the other side. Phils irritated expression melts.

"Hi," the man begins looking awkward "I never got your name." Phil can't help but think it's cute.

"Phil." 

"I was going to ask for your number..." the man says scratching the nape of his neck. Phil's heart pounds in his chest. Does this man like him? Probably not, he must want to be friends? 

Either this man has extremely low standards or Phil mustn't look as dead tired as he believed.

"Come in, won't you, I'll make some coffee," he says waving for the man to come inside.

-

The man, Dan, takes a sip of his coffee. "But if you have an exam shouldn't you go back to sleep?" He asks, looking genuinely worried. Phil shakes his head, a bubbling laugh escaping his lips.

"I'll call in sick, I'm too sleep-deprived to do it." Dan smiles gently at that. His cheeks are rosy and even he looks tired, but Phil doesn't want to go to sleep just yet. Not now, when his new and exciting friend is over.

Phil suddenly has an idea- "Do you like Mario Kart?"


End file.
